Norwegian agricultural products and ingredients for a healthy and sustainable future

SusHealth shall contribute to increased value creation, sustainability, and health benefits by innovative use of Norwegian agricultural products. To reach this goal, there is a need for new knowledge about composition and properties of agricultural products and ingredients. Starch and dietary fibre. An international ring test for the determination of the molecular weight of ß-glucan has been completed, and a ring test for determination of a-amylase activity continues. A new baking process based on vacuum cooling to make a health-beneficial oat bread enriched with ß-glucan has been developed with commercialization as the goal. Methods for analyzing and isolating oligosaccharides in peas and beans have been established. A kinetic model for evaluating in vitro starch digestion has been validated. Starch-degrading enzymes have been used to make plant-based beverages from proteins from peas and grains. High-field NMR has been adopted as a new method for characterizing carbohydrates. Lipids. Methodology for determining co-oxidation of lipids and proteins in animal and plant-based protein-rich ingredients has been established and initial oxidation studies conducted. GC methodology for determining very long fatty acids in oils, foods, cells, and tissues has been established and validated. Plant residues with natural antioxidants reduced oxidation in a cold-pressed omega-3 rich plant oil. Results from an animal study showed that plant omega-3 (ALA) was converted to omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) and that monounsaturated fatty acids probably stimulated the conversion. Studies of muscle cells' ability to absorb and store fat during in vitro meat production have begun. Phytochemicals. Development and optimization of analytical methods for phytochemicals is ongoing. Methods for glycoalkaloids in fava beans and carotenoids in vegetables have been optimized. Phytochemicals in Brassica, strawberries and lingonberries are determined. The effect of freezing method of carrots, as well as the effect of storage conditions (packaging, temperature, and light) on the quality of broccoli and cauliflower and greening of potatoes have been investigated. Stability of polyphenols in a berry juice with various sweeteners has been investigated. Vegetable emulsions as an ingredient in plant-based products provided new functional properties. PEF treatment of carrots slightly increased the release of ß-carotene compared with traditional blanching. Proteins and peptides. The hardness of sausages with lungs decreased with increasing contents of lungs in the product. Lungs also resulted in more red color of the sausages. Bioactive peptides in protein hydrolysate of chicken by-products have been characterized by SEC fractionation and LC-MS/MS. The composition of high molecular weight glutenin subunits, which are important for baking quality of wheat, has been characterized in new Norwegian wheat varieties. Food wheat infected with fungi and exposed to moist weather during grain ripening may have reduced gluten quality. Tailored fractionation. Sustainable technologies such as dry and wet fractionation have been established to produce protein fractions from legumes and cereals. Fat in the raw material complicates the processes and must therefore be reduced before fractionation. Supercritical (SC) CO2 extraction of fat is environmentally friendly since no organic solvents are used. Equipment for SC-CO2 extraction is installed and validated with oats as raw material. With protein fractions and extrusion technology, two types of ingredients for plant food products can be produced: dry extruded (water content < 40%) and wet extruded (water content > 40%). Bioactivity, health and nutrition. We have established in vitro assays to measure the antidiabetic, antihypertensive and antioxidant activity of food ingredients. The methods have been used to characterize the health-promoting effects of peptides from chicken by-products and phytochemicals from black currants. We have also established methods for measuring the effect of new ingredients (peptides from bovine, chicken, eggs, whey) on glucose uptake in muscle cells, and specifically, which molecular mechanisms are turned on/off. In addition, we have identified the structure of specific peptides that are linked to the health-promoting effects of complex hydrolysates. Stability of bioactive peptides from chicken hydrolysate through digestion and intestinal absorption has been studied. User involvement and dissemination. SusHealth has been presented to the Norwegian food industry, organizations, and authorities, who have provided input to the research activities, including feedback from the reference group of the strategic research programs at Nofima. New knowledge about raw materials, ingredients and food technology is continuously shared with the Norwegian food industry through personal communication, courses, and collaboration in other projects.

Many reports stress future challenges due to a growing population in combination with limited production areas and climate changes. To meet these challenges, it is widely recognized that the food system needs to transform. To that end, there is a need for research-based knowledge promoting production of healthy and sustainable food raw materials and ingredients. In this context, SusHealth has identified the following critical R&D knowledge gaps: How to utilise the whole biomass of plants and animals to optimise the use of new and existing Norwegian resources? How to maintain or even increase the health-promoting constituents in raw materials and food ingredients during storage and processing? How to produce new Norwegian plant-based food ingredients that meet dietary guidelines, with optimised functional and sensory properties? To close these knowledge gaps, SusHealth will deliver research on: -starch and dietary fibres, for new carbohydrate ingredients for increased quality, sustainability and health benefits -lipid metabolism, oxidation and bioactivity to increase the potential for Norwegian plant oils -phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables, and the effects of storage and processing to ensure fresh produce, ingredients and products with high quality -methodologies to unravel raw material/process/quality relationships in production of protein ingredients from new and traditional Norwegian protein sources -innovative technologies to produce plant-based food ingredients with optimal nutritional, sensory and functional properties -biological models and methods for evaluation and documentation of health-promoting effects and nutritional properties of food ingredients Through the knowledge obtained, and strategic dissemination of project results, SusHealth will contribute to sustainable food production and innovative value-creation for Norwegian primary producers and food industry.